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How embarrassing--as a former teacher--misspelling "ridiculous".   I guess my passion overtook me before I pressed "submit."

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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Taking pay cuts is bad.  You NEVER get it back.  When I was a teacher in Seattle, we took a paycut to prevent layoffs.  Guess what, there were still layoffs.

What is broken in Oregon is a rediculous tax system--high income tax and property tax and NO user (sales) tax.  So what you get when people are laid off is an immediate drop in revenues.  Yet no one is willing to step forward--not the Democrats or the Republicans to try to fix this glaring fault.

So, we'll limp forward with paycuts and reduced services.

On another topic:  Gary Locke was an excellent governor. It's a feather in the cap of all Northwesterners that he will be there in a position that is a great fit for us and for the nation--as well as a great step for Asian Americans. 

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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Let's face it, the only way that the print media is going to survive is to attract more sensational news rather than newsworthy stories.  For example, they must keep alive the controversy of Mayor Adams on the front page and the followup on the murders of the two teens.  In other words, the same as the TV stations.  Notice that TV stations have stopped editorials long ago and stopped investigative reporting because people tune out.

I'd like to think that the Oregonian, and other papers like the Seattle PI, will survive because of quality.  Nope.  They'll only survive by catering to the lowest denominator--the Jerry Springers of the world.

I subscribe to the Oregonian, but I think it's a lost cause to think that quality will win the day. 

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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I am amazed at the number of smart, educated parents who disbelieve good science and to a great degree, common sense, that says vaccines save lives. I am very alarmed that parents of autistic or otherwise damaged children have zeroed in on vaccines as the primary cause of those problems and want vaccines banned for every child. Very sad and dangerous.

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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You're correct that the dead are dead. But they are not equal to a tree or the rusted hulk of a car. They should be treated with respect as it helps us to remember who we are and where we came from. My great-grandfather is buried in a pauper's grave in Tacoma, but it is a place of dignity and we visit it to remind us of his personal sacrifice and honor his life. For those of us who come from a non-Christian background, we are amazed, if not offended, with the off-handed way remains are handled--especially those of ethnic communities. And who's to say that the Eqyptians weren't right?

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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The word "assimilate" has done great damage to ethnically different people. It assumes that the individual will, in time, become "American" (the other "A" word as you pointed out). The question for those of us who are the sons and daughters of immigrants (I am Asian-American), especially racially different, is how much do you buy into it. If you assimilate, do you become a Christian, dress like Britney Spears, listen to hip-hop and pretend that you don't look or act differently. And if you do, do you leave your parents and grandparents behind because they're "old country" and speak with marked accents, if they speak English at all. And, if you are physically different, such as being "short" for Mexican or Asians, or "too dark," you find that your presence is a constant reminder to yourself and others that you aren't part of the majority society.

Our community in the Northwest (I include the areas of Vancouver to Salem) is more "tolerant" than other areas, but there is an unease that never goes away when we encounter racially different or ethnically different people. This goes both ways--racial minorities to whites and vice-versa. I wish it wasn't so, but that's the way it is for now.

I have great hope that Dr. King's dream of equality and Barak Obama's election moves us closer to seeing people rather than differences. I, for one, think we've moved a bit, but the sobering part is that Mr. Obama needed to separate himself from his Muslim heritage. But we are moving forward.

Thanks for having this conversation.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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C'mon. How many people with permits have been robbed? How many people with guns in their homes have accidents that have either injured themselves (the legislator who accidentally shot himself) and kids who've been killed by playing with them is far more likely to happen.

Get real!

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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Of course that the records should be public. In fact, they shouldn't be concealed. If a would-be attacker can see a gun, certainly he would be deterred from making an attack. I think concealed weapons are pure cowardice and have no place in a civilized society.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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There's plenty of blame to got around, but the biggest issue is the competition for subscribers between the providers. Comcast, as others have pointed out, is in direct competition with the very providers who refuse to carry their sports channel. DirectTV and other providers are loathe to do business with Comcast, and who can blame them? It was a big coup on Comcast's part. Since the only way to get Blazers on TV is with Comcast (other than ESPN occasionally), the losers are us. Money is NOT the issue as the providers know they can make money on it. They just don't want to play with Comcast. A pox on all your houses!

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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It is impossible to be fair with the thousands upon thousands of migrants and illegal non documented workers in the US. I have close friends from Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica who are hard working in incredibly difficult jobs. They are very suspicious of strangers and only want to make money for themselves and their families back home.
Part of the solution is to have amnesty for those who are here and want to stay. The other part is to have a program to allow families to freely cross the borders to visit. And the other part is to reform the immigration laws that allow for temporary workers and to speed up the process for residency so that people can live here without fear.
None of these solutions are without their own difficulties in light of the fear of terrorism and the lousy economy we are in. But we just can't keep ignoring the problem as it keeps growing and makes perfectly good people into criminals for wanting to have a better life.
If the shoe was on the other foot, and Americans wanted to go to Canada or Japan or Mexico for a better job, wouldn't we want some fairness and sensible laws that help us to live a better life?

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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I am wondering how a transgender/transsexual person handles romantic relationships. How are partners affected--both former and newer. Does a transgender male view herself as a lesbian or gay man?

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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As a male, former Catholic, and the father of a college age daughter, I was called by my daughter who was desperate--she thought she was pregnant. After a very long series of discussions with her, she made the very difficult decision to have an abortion.
It was not an easy decision. She did not want her mother to know, for various reasons. But she had it done quickly, legally, and was able to complete college and eventually marry and now has a beautiful daughter, now age four.
I am proud of her and her difficult decision. Do I think of the loss of the fetus? Of course. But I see my daughter and her husband and granddaughter and see a beautiful family that might not have been had she chosen another path.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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I really appreciate your comments. It is very thoughtful and heartfelt. As a Buddhist, I can agree with your assessment of meeting the needs of the poor, the need for peace and truth and love. We only have one life and to live it to the betterment of all of our brothers and sisters and to continue to bring it to the attention of whoever is in power. I find it ironic that many Christians invoke the name of Jesus and not his teachings. Gassho.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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As a non-Christian and non-Jew (I am Buddhist), I am dismayed at the pandering to those groups by Republicans and Democrats when the founding fathers (no mothers) tried to separate religion from government. Health care, education, environment and Iraq are issues that have no particular religion in mind. And I object most strenuously to those who inject those beliefs into those issues--particularly abortion and same sex marriage. And to make candidates declare their faith is flatly wrong.

I would prefer less religion, not more.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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Yes. You are right. Oil and regional domination has been the goal of American and European foreign policy and speaking Arabic or Farsi was used only as a tool to further that cause. But I always hope that we're better than our greedy need for oil and build ties of understanding and mutual respect. God/Allah would be pleased by that, I think.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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As a newcomer (within the last two months) I was surprised by the whiteness of the gay community. I have not seen but a handful of blacks or latinos in gay events and rarely asians. Are gays more racists than other groups in Portland?

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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While I agree that the Chinese want to speak English, isn't it a bit egocentric to have "them" come to "us"? It's a very narrow view of the purpose of learning English and dismissive of the importance of learning Mandarin or Cantonese (or any of the other major Chinese languages). We don't know everything.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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It's not such a fourth grade question. The US has never promoted understanding of the middle east even though it is an incredibly important region for not only oil, but for its political and cultural prominence. Language is one of the important keys leading to understanding and exchange with other cultures. Maybe if we had large numbers of American school children, tourists, business people who could speak Arabic, Farsi, or other important language, the US wouldn't have been seen as the devil and a target for the extremists. We still haven't promoted Arabic in any school that I'm aware of. It's a missed opportunity which we still have time to correct.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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Learning another language doesn't automatically make one understand a culture or bring people together. That always depends on the reason for learning the language in the first place. It does make a difference if you're a tourist, a politician, a business person, or want a career advancement. The goals are different.
I speak fairly decent Spanish and was able to enjoy my trips to Central America very much. My goal was to interact with people I met on the busses and markets. It worked very well. I now have some great friends in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Will it bring world peace? Maybe. I can hope.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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It seems that almost all convicts will be released within five or so years with the exception of those who have committed capital or extremely violent crimes. Those who have served any time need the support of family and/or community to reintegrate back into society.
What kind of support do you think you need to really get back on your feet and to make sure that you don't reoffend?

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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